Galleria Borghese

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Villa Borghese Park
The Galleria Borghese is situated in a park about 2 km from the centre of the city, Rome.

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The gallery is not big but housed in an opulent palaces. It is the most exclusive gallery in Rome. To see the collection, visitors have to make a reservation before hand, in one of the 2-hour slots offered by the gallery.
The gallery
The main entrance

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The building was built for as the personal home of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, between 1613 and 1615. Scipione Borghese was also the nephew of the pope Paul V. He was also a patron of Bernini. The gallery underwent an extensive 14 years restoration in 1983 and reopened in 1997.
The Building
Cardinal Scipione Borghese
Pope Paul V (1605-21)
The Emperor Room

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The building was built as a showpiece gallery of the cardinal. The gallery is known for its collection of Bernini, Raphael and Caravaggio masterpieces.
The Building
The Egyptian Room

Ancient Greek Sculpture
The Sleeping Hermaphrodite was a 1C Roman copy of the 150 BC original sculpture by Polycles. The first Hermaphrodite sculpture belonged to the gallery was sold to the Louvre. This current Hermaphrodite was found in 1781 and reworked by Pacetti.
The Sleeping Hermaphrodite, original Greek, 150 BC.

In 1807, many pieces of art works were sold to Napoleon and they are now exhibit as the ‘Borghese collection’ in the Louvre, Paris.
Ancient Roman Sculpture
Satyr on a Dolphin, original Greek, 1C BC.
Iris (Egyptian godess), Roman 2C.

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Raffaello – woman with Unicorn
Woman with a Unicorn. 1505-06. Sanzio Raffaello.
Raphael probably did not finish the painting. Another artist completed the portrait by changing its pose and the size of the sleeves. He also added a small dog and the windowsill. Soon after, the dog was changed into a unicorn.
In 17C the woman was changed into St Catherine with addition of her wheel. In the 1935 restoration the 17C changes were removed .

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Raffaello – Deposition of Christ
The Deposition of Christ. 1507. Sanzio Raffaello.
The painting was cleaned in 2005 and revealed the magnificent vivid colours.
The painting was painted by Raphael before he moved to Rome. It was originally placed in the church of S Francesco al Prato in Perugia.

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Titian – Sacred and Profane Love.
Sacred and Profane Love. Titan. 1514.
The nude woman was the goddess of Venus (sacred love), with her sacred flame in hand. The clothed woman (profane love) was a young widow Laura Bagarotto, dressed as a bride to be of Niccolo Aureli, who commissioned the painting.
Venus with the help of Cupid who was stirring a pool of water in a sarcophagus, to assist Laura Baggrotto for the coming marriage.

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Titian - Venus Blindfolding Cupid
Venus Blindfolding Cupid. c1565. Titian. This was painted some 50 years after the previous painting, in his 70s, showing his changing style.

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Cranach - Venus and Two Cupid
Venus and Two Cupids. c1520. Brescianino.

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Cranach - Venus and Cupid with a Honeycomb
Venus and Cupid with a Honeycomb. c1531. Cranach. An unusual painting in the collection as Cranach was a friend of Martin Luther.

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Dosso Dossi – Melissa or Circe
The painting refers to a romantic epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto. It told the story of an enchantress, Circe, who imprisoned her lovers within trees (see miniscule figures of men on the tree, top left), rocks and animals. The lady who sat in a magic circle was probably Melissa, who liberated the victims from the spell. The empty armour was a reference to the trapped knight of Astolpho.
Melissa or Circe, c1530. by D. Dossi.
Note the fantasy and opulent use of colours in the painting and fine landscape in the background.

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Correggio - Danae
Danae. 1531-32. Correggio. He was responsible for some of the most vigorous and sensuous works of the 16C.

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Lotto - Portrait of a Man
Portrait of a Man. 1535. Lotto. Born in Venice, his work is always crisp and clear. His works show the influence of the Venetian painters and the influence of German painters, in his landscape.

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Caravaggio – Il Bacchino Malato
Aeneas’ Flight from Troy. 1598. Barocci. Bernini must had seen this before he worked on the Aeneas and Anchises sculpture.

Caravaggio – Boy with Basket of Fruit
Boy with a Basket of Fruit. c1594. Caravaggio.
Caravaggio’s style is described as ‘chiaroscuro’. The fruits in his paintings were often over-ripe and starting to decay. The leaves were wilting and colours were fading.

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Caravaggio – Boy with Basket of Fruit

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Caravaggio – Saint Jerome
St Jerome. 1605-06. Caravaggio. This was painted at the height of his career. Note the light streams off the bald head of the saint.

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Caravaggio – Madonna of the Palafrenieri
Madonna of the Palafrenieri. 1605-06. Caravaggio.
It is a very unusual painting of the Madonna and child. It was commissioned as an altarpiece in the St Peter Basilica.
The painting shows the Virgin, with the help of her son, trampled on a snake, the source of the original sin. This is an allegory of the Catholics church (represented by the Virgin) crashing the opposition, on the dispute between the Catholics and the Protestants on the original sin.
St Anne (on the right), the mother of the Virgin was given the rough treatment by Caravaggio.

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Caravaggio – David with the Head of Goliath
David with the Head of Goliath. 1609-10. Caravaggio.
Self-portrait, the head of Caravaggio, who was wanted by the police for murder. Caravaggio is saying “here is my head”.

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St John the Baptist. 1609-10. Caravaggio.
Caravaggio – David with the Head of Goliath
Caravaggio painted St John the Baptist in his youth. The saint grew up in the wilderness, that strengthened his spirit (St Luke).
The painting illustrated Caravaggio’s approach to saints and apostles. He saw these people as ordinary men and women rather than sanitised version of people in robes or spiritual colossus.

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Domenichino – The Hunt of Diana
The Hunt of Diana. 1616. Domenichino. The painting was forcefully bought by the Scipione Borghese from the rebellious artist Domenichino. It depicts a an archery contest, in a festive atmosphere amongst Diana’s nymphs. The exquisite colour was part of the Veneto school ‘s style.

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Domenichino – The Hunt of Diana
Sybil. c1616. Domenichino.
A colourful and a youthful Persian Sybil, with a viola and a music book. In antiquity sybils sang their prophecies, accompanied with music. Domenichino was also an expert in music.

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Bernini c1623
Bernini c1630-35
Bernini
Bernini
It is impossible for any tourist to visit Rome without coming across art works by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. He was a very successful artist in the early 17C. He was the leading sculptor, a painter, play write, a prominent architect and a stage designer. Several of his masterpieces are on display in the gallery. Below are some of his works in Rome.

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Bernini – Aeneas and Anchises
Aeneas fleeing from the burning city of Troy carrying his elderly father, while his son carries the sacred fire. Aeneas and Anchises. 1618-1620.

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Bernini – Aeneas and Anchises
Many scholars saw the influence of Bernini’s father on the sculpture. Some even suggested it was his father’s work.

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Bernini – Rape of Proserpine
Proserpine was carried by Pluto into the underworld. Rape of Proserpine. 1621-22.

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Bernini – Rape of Proserpine
Marble softened in the hand of Bernini.

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Bernini – Rape of Proserpine

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Bernini – Apollo and Daphne
Life-size marble sculpture (1622-26) by Bernini. Apollo insulted Cupid, who shot him with the gold arrow of love. Knowing Apollo was in love with Daphne, Cupid shot her with the lead arrow of hate. The sculpture showed the moment when Apollo touched her. Sensing Apollo’s touch and the danger she turned herself into a tree to escape from Apollo.

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The Apollo and Daphne was one of the four sculptures commissioned by Cardinal Borghese.
Bernini – Apollo and Daphne

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Bernini – Apollo and Daphne
Daphne’s foot is turning into roots.

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Bernini – David
Bernini’s David is very dynamic and compared well with previous well-known examples of sculpture of David.
David. 1623-24. Life-size marble.

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Bernini – David
Note the biting lips, the hatred and other emotions on His face.

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Bernini – David
Bernini was very skilful in conveying movements in his David sculpture. Note the tension on his leg.

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Madonna and Child. c1650. Sassoferrato.
Canova - Pauline

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Pauline was Napoleon’s sister, who married one of the Borghese Princes. Pauline Bonaparte as Venus Victrix, 1805-1808. Antonio Canova.
Canova - Pauline

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By portrait Pauline in nude with an apple in her hand, Canova elevated her to be a goddess. The apple is a reference to the Judgement of Paris, about beauty.
Canova - Pauline

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Galleria Borghese
In 1605, two months after his ascent to the papal throne, Paul V appointed his nephew Scipione Cardinal. Shortly after he gave him the ‘vineyard’ outside Porta Pinciana, where Scipione fulfilled his artistic dream by building a villa.
Scipione Borghese was an early patron of Bernini and an enthusiastic collector of works by Caravaggio. As a result, the gallery has a very large collection of Bernini and Caravaggio’s masterpieces. The gallery was re-opened in 1997, after a 14 years restoration.

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Music – Roxane’s Veil performed by Vanessa Mae and composed by Vangelis.
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